The Lost Dragonborn
by auyadovahkiin
Summary: What would happen in a world where the Dragonborn of legend simply never existed? (Warning: May contain spoilers) First fanfiction, please review and leave feedback, I'd really appreciate it!


Chapter One: Helgen

_Crack!_

The snap of the horsewhip jerked Ralof awake with a start. "Where am I? Gerdur, are you-" He glanced around, and realized with a sinking heart that he was on a wagon. An Imperial wagon. And his hands were tied.

_Talos damn it, _he thought, head sagging until he was staring at his knees. _Curse those Imperial bastards!_

"Wait…"

Ralof's head snapped around, staring at his fellow prisoner. _Lokir,_ he thought. _Dishonorable scum. _His opinion on thieves was not very positive.

"What do you want, _horse thief_?" Ralof sneered.

"Shut up!" yelled the Imperial at the front of the wagon. Ralof spared a glare to him, and turned his attention back to Lokir.

"I just… well… I was surprised that you were finally awake, I mean, uh, what are you, a girl, with your beauty sleep?" Lokir, now whispering, made a feeble attempt at insulting the larger man, earning him nothing but a 'Hn' of contempt and a sharp glare. Ralof's attention was now occupied by another Nord, a blond man with a gag.

"What's with that guy? Why the gag?" Ralof hear Lokir ask.

Ralof turned away from the other prisoner and looked incredulously at Lokir. "You're joking, right?"

He didn't get a response.

"… Oh, Talos help me. You're serious. You _really _don't know who that man is?" He only got an ashamed nod in reply.

"That," Ralof declared proudly, "is the bravest hero Tamriel has ever seen! That is the one and only… Ulfric Stormcloak!"

Lokir's eyes widened, and he shook his head disbelievingly. "No." His voice was hushed, and very serious. "Y-you're pulling my leg…" But doubt crept into his eyes as they flickered from the Stormcloak next to him to the Nord legend, and he shook his head more vigorously. "U-Ulfric… Stormcloak! This… this is an honour! Talos, I can't believe…"

"But you do believe," cut in Ralof, grinning widely. "And an honour it is, to die by the side of the greatest man on Nirn!"

"Shor, Mara, Dibella, Akatosh, Kynareth! Divines, save me!"

All three men sat up at that, gazing at their surroundings. _Helgen, _Ralof though. _Wonder if… wonder if Vilod's still brewing that mead, with juniper berries mixed in._

The wagon stopped and Ralof felt a hand on his back. He registered only some of the words, things like 'Stormcloak bastards' and 'Talos-lovers'. He heard a little boy ask if he could watch the soldiers, only to have his mother reprimand him, and draw him back toward their house. His gaze drifted in their general direction. _Haming,_ he thought. _I remember when he was a little baby…_ He felt numb from the shock. It had finally sunk in that he was going to die. He would be killed today, and at the hands of the damned Imperials, no less! How could he get captured? He, a proud Nord, proud of his heritage, proud of his beliefs. He hated the Imperials with all his being, with every fiber of his body, every hair on his scalp, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.

He hated them.

"Lokir of Rorikstead!" called the man before the three, jerking Ralof out of his hatred-and-misery-filled stupor. If he was correct, one man had been executed so far. He knew the man as Hadvar, the traitor who had joined the Legion. Ralof knew Lokir was no hero. Lokir was a coward, only looking out for himself, never considering others. Lokir was a thief, after all.

Which is why, when Hadvar called his name, Ralof knew what was going to happen next. Lokir hesitated, eyes darting from Hadvar to the street like a nervous rabbit, sweat beading on his forehead… and suddenly, he ran. He fled his death like the dishonourable bastard he was. He was undeserving to be called a Nord. "_Archers!_" someone yelled. Just as easily as they might have shot an unsuspecting rabbit, the Imperial archers drew their bowstrings and fired. Their aim was true, and a dozen arrows found their marks in Lokir's back.

"Ralof of Riverwood!"

Ralof felt a sense of dread. This was it. The end.

He lifted his chin. "Aye," he said. "That… would be me." He saw the slight widen of Hadvar's eyes, the sign of recognition, and he pleaded with his own eyes. _Please, _he thought. _Please… just a few more minutes of life. _Hadvar, flustered, glanced at the list again, and his gaze returned quickly to Ralof. "Er… well, um, wait, sorry, did I say, uh, Riverwood? I meant… uh, I meant Kynareth- no, Kynesgrove, yes, that's it, Ralof of Kynesgrove?"

Ralof mentally sighed. _Just as bad a liar as always,_ he thought. He was led to the block and shoved forcefully onto the ground. His head was pushed onto the wooden block, and he looked at the executioner. Below that hood, he imagined a ghastly smile, ever widening as the axe swung…

_Crash!_

A deafening noise startled the executioner, and his axe slipped, falling from his hand as he stared up at the great beast that had landed atop the tower. The axe did not hit its intended target, but instead hit Ralof's leg, mauling it. _No,_ he thought. _No, no, no, no, no. It can't be… a dragon?_ He tried to deny it, but he couldn't help but recognize the monster as such. The wings, the eyes, the claws, the tail were all tell-tale signs… and that blood-freezing, terrifying roar. The dragon blew fire, flames sweeping through the town. Ralof stared in awe, even as he came to the slow, but sure, realization that he could not run. His leg, dangling uselessly as he tried to stand, was mangled beyond repair. He collapsed onto the ground, as the town descended into chaos. He heard numbly, screams and yells, the crackle of flames, and the roars of the evil creature that had come to the town of Helgen.

He swung his head from his leg to the beast. It looked back at him, those glowing red eyes boring into his very soul…

And then he heard a terrible growl from the demon, and then he saw a bright stream of flame, and then…

And then he heard no more, and then he saw no more, and then he was no more.

Everyone perished at Helgen that day.

**Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Please review. Also, remember things didn't happen the same without the Dragonborn.**


End file.
